Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-02
Getting Ready.

The packet companies and ryer men
are organizing for tie business Of thu
coming season. ard rs the depth OF the
water in the channels will cut an ina
portant figure in the calculations for
moving freight, there is much specula-
| ton rife as to the probable stages of
water that will be encountered in the
work for this year. The opinions CT
those who venture to forecast the flows
ing of the tides are quite dissimilar, and
the expression of the views as touching
the volumes and forces of the rivers are
as various as the ranging figures which
mark the registers of the water gauges.
Some river men predict high water,
but present no plausible theory for sus-
tanning their positions. The inference
is that their wishes father the thought.
\ few months since u captain asserted
that like begets like, high water breeds
high water, low water breeds low water,
each reproducing its own kind and
| there can be no exception to this rule
Accepting this theory some steamboat.
men predict that the river will run dry
during the coming season, as such re-
suit will naturally follow from the very
low record of last year. But these proph-
cts mistake the starting point. This pro
cess of reasoning is confined TO each sea.
son OF navigation, dating from its COM
mencement and closing with its discon-
tinuance and cannot be connected with
the workings of following years. The
prevailing stage of the river at the opens
ing of navigation governs the gauges OF
| the channel for the remainder of the sea,
son. If it commences with flush tides il
can be safely calculated that deep chan
nels may be expected, bat if on the con-
trsry, the season opens with low water il
can be asserted that the season will be-
marked with mauy conflicts with the sand
bars. These arguments are not founded
upon the deductions resulting from sci
entific researches; they are the simple
applications of the plainest principles Of
common sense. If the river should bt
bank-fu!l when the spring opens, ii
will be caused from the effect OF
very heavy rains which viii have
fallen in The meantime, and the
ground will constantly refuse all sur
plus water which will descend there
after, and thus will continually sustain
the swells in the streams and rivers. On tn,
other ham, if the opening of navigation
discovers u very low river it will be caus
ed from the effects of protrscte(
drought, and even if this condition o
things should be followed 10y immoderat
rains, there would be scarcely any sur
plus water for raising the streams. Tn
earth would not be in its normal con
dition, and would easily and readil
absorb the volumes of heavy floods
We might add that the river records O
all previous years sustain our assertions
1t therefore follows that the stage 0
| the river for the current year can be de
termined by whoever is competent t
b forecast the rainfall for the next fe,
weeks.
The boats of the Matt Clark Trans
portation CompauYs fleet will be cap
tanned as follows; The David Bronson
Charles Tromley; the Issac Staple,
James Newcomb the j. L. Gravea. Il
vine Milliron; the Evansville, Charlie
Rhodes; the Jennie Hayes, John Lans
ford. The steamers Ben Hershey an
Menomonee ere not yet supplied.
.. is understood that Capt. John Hoey
formerly with the Clark company, vii
take charge of the Brother jonathan